Congress Links

Washington is still reeling from record snowfall and the House has decided to take the whole week off, but the Senate, at least, managed to get some work done. Weather permitting, Congress hopes to start working on the jobs bill and other legislation soon. Here’s a look at some articles and blog posts of note from the day:

• Senate Democrats failed to muster enough votes to break the filibuster on Craig Becker’s nomination to the National Labor Relations Board. (Senate)
• Sen. Kent Conrad [D, ND] “slammed television news stories that ‘obsess’ over ‘death panels’ and minor issues in Democrats’ healthcare reform efforts.” (The Hill)
• Fresh off her star turn at this weekend’s tea party convention, Sarah Palin is back in the headlines. Despite finding success as an author and a Fox News personality, Marc Ambinder argues that Palin is on the path to running for public office once again. (The Atlantic)
• Ambinder also has a good review of an anti-obesity proposal enacted by President Obama this morning (The Atlantic)
• Rep. Paul Ryan [R, WI-1] released a so-called shadow budget spelling out drastic cuts to Medicare and Social Security. Though Republican leaders are distancing themselves from the budget, congressional Democrats want to tie it to the GOP. (Talking Points Memo)
• You can learn all about Paul Ryan’s budget plan right here: H.R. 4529 — Roadmap for America’s Future Act of 2010
• The House candidate who has raised the most money from the most people so far for the November elections is an outspoken, Democratic populist — Rep. Alan Grayson [D, FL-8]. (Huffington Post)
• Republican Senator Bob Corker [TN] thinks there’s still hope for a bipartisan financial reform bill. (The Hill).

Washington State Dem In Line For Murtha's Chairmanship

The death of Rep. John Murtha [D, PA-12] means not only an open House seat in Pennsylvania, but also an open chairmanship in one of the most significant House subcommittees.

Murtha was the chair of the defense appropriations subcommittee, which oversees Pentagon spending. Rep. Norm Dicks [D, WA-6], the new ranking Democrat on the subcommittee, is expected to be chosen by the House Democratic Caucus to take Murtha’s chairmanship.

A lot of attention has been given to Murtha’s anti-war stance, but he also was known for his ability to secure earmarks, moreso than any other House member, for his district. While not as prolific as Murtha, Dicks is also known for obtaining earmarks for his district. You can view Rep. Dicks’s earmark requests for the current fiscal year here.

And also like Murtha, Dicks has attracted attention for his ethics record. The Seattle Times explains:

Dicks, Murtha and James Moran Jr., a Virginia Democrat also on the panel, were investigated last year by the Office of Congressional Ethics over $137 million in contracts they directed to defense companies that had hired a lobbying firm, PMA Group, founded by a former subcommittee staffer.

The ethics office dropped the probe in December without taking action. The House ethics committee is conducting its own investigation, although the ethics office recommended that review be dropped, too.

Should he get the chairmanship, Dicks will have considerable sway over a controversial $40 billion air-to-air refueling tanker contract that is being sought by Northrop Grumman, European firm EADS and Boeing. Boeing has long been the top donor to Dicks and has a major manufacturing plant in his district.

Incidentally, that contract was a major reason why Sen. Richard Shelby [R, AL] recently placed a blanket hold on all of President Obama’s appointees. If awarded the contract, Northrop Grumman and EADS would build the tankers in Alabama.

Draft of Senate Jobs Bill Now Available

A draft copy of the Senate Democrats jobs bill has been uploaded to Scribdb. Read it for yourself here.

We’ll have more on exactly what’s in it later. Major Garret is tweeting some details:

To clarify, total package spends out at $135 bn; costs $85 bn due to increased taxes via $50 bn in closed “loopholes.”

Bill would also extend Patriot Act for 1-year and provide 7-month Medicare reimbursement “doctor fix.”

Other parts: $15 bn for infrastructure, $35 bn in extended tax breaks, 3-month unemployment insurance/COBRA extension = $35 bn

Dodd to Push for Quasi-Independent CFPA

Last week, Senate Banking Committee Chairman Chris Dodd [D, CT] announced that he had reached an impasse with Republicans on the committee over what should be in the Senate’s financial reform bill. The main sticking point was the proposal for a consumer financial watchdog agency that would be called the “Consumer Financial Protection Agency,” or “CFPA.” Dodd wanted the CFPA to be an independent agency. Republicans wanted it to be rolled in with one of the existing financial regulators.

Commentators wondered whether the bill had essentially died. Without Republican support and with the Democratic supermajority gone, it’s hard to see it getting through the Senate.

The Huffington Post is reporting that Dodd will introduce his Dems-only financial bill this week, and that it will include a sort of quasi-independent CFPA.

Sources say he’ll likely call for an agency that will have:

• The authority to write and enforce rules governing mortgages, credit cards and consumer loans;
• Its own budget, one not subject to the Congressional appropriations process so it can’t be harmed by lawmakers bent on taking away its power;
• A unitary executive nominated by the president and confirmed by the Senate;
• And the power to police both banks and non-bank financial firms like payday lenders and mortgage finance companies.

The new body will likely be housed within the Treasury Department. While it won’t be a purely independent agency like the Federal Trade Commission or the Consumer Product Safety Commission — two consumer-focused agencies on which it’s modeled — it will still meet “the principles of [an] independent agency,” Heather Booth, executive director of Americans for Financial Reform, said in an e-mail.

This sounds like prime chopping block material to me. Kind of like the compromised public option that Majority Leader Sen. Harry Reid [D, NV] included in the health care reform bill he brought to the floor, which was ultimately dropped to shore up support among conservative Democrats.

It’s unclear how many Democrats would oppose the CFPA as Dodd is proposing it, but when the House debated financial reform legislation (H.R.4173) in December, a full 33 Democrats voted in favor of stripping out the CFPA.

Shelby Lifts Blanket Hold On Obama Nominees

When we last checked in on Sen. Richard Shelby [R, AL], he had placed a blanket hold on all of President Obama’s pending nominees. This week, the hold ensnaring most of those nominees has been lifted.

Shelby, as you recall, was angry because two earmarks that could mean billions for Alabama were in jeopardy. Yesterday, Shelby’s office released a statement confirming that most of the holds had been lifted:

The purpose of placing numerous holds was to get the White House’s attention on two issues that are critical to our national security – the Air Force’s aerial refueling tanker acquisition and the FBI’s Terrorist Device Analytical Center (TEDAC). With that accomplished, Sen. Shelby has decided to release his holds on all but a few nominees directly related to the Air Force tanker acquisition.

President Obama’s nomination woes are far from over, however, as Sen. Ben Nelson [D, NE] yesterday announced that he would not only oppose but also vote to filibuster Craig Becker, the president’s nominee to the National Labor Relations Board. The NLRB monitors union elections and deals with employment disputes. Becker, a former Service Employees International Union lawyer, is seen by many conservatives as being overly supportive of union causes.

Sen. Nelson echoed this concern:

Mr. Becker’s previous statements strongly indicate that he would take an aggressive personal agenda to the NLRB, and that he would pursue a personal agenda there, rather than that of the Administration. This is of great concern, considering that the Board’s main responsibility is to resolve labor disputes with an even and impartial hand.

The cloture vote on Becker’s nomination is expected later today in the Senate. With Nelson voting to filibuster, not to mention Sen. Scott Brown [R, MA], Democrats will have a tough time finding the 60 votes needed to advance the nomination.